New Skills

So Zachary and I went swimming in the Hudson river on Saturday, we played in the sand we swam, we watched the naughty jet skiers get told off by the NY police boat for getting to close to the swimmers. But I also cut my foot swimming (it's fine, no worries) to close to the rocks rescuing a tennis ball so that Z and I could dry off a little on the grass while playing baseball.

This is the first of his mad new skills. I purchased a wiffle bat and ball for a whole shiny dollar a week or so ago. We've played a bunch since. I quickly realized that the whole throwing and batting in 3D was a little hard, so we moved to kneeing and rolling, and in two days his vector mapping improved from a 8% to at least 80% batting average. He watches the ball rolling toward him and just swings that bat along the ground and boom, another home run.

Ok so back to the whole cut foot thing, and I decided on Monday that rather than struggle with him, stroller and a cane (I was just trying to keep the weight off it for a day or two). I'd let him ride his bike. He's done so every day this week, to and from Daycare and often to the park to ride in circles before dinner. He even gets fast enough now that the training wheels pop up now and again. Today as I rounded the corner to the long corridor, I saw him disappear at the other end toward the elevators. He can also figure eight around various set of pillars we've come across on our bike excursions.

A video is bound to follow eventually.

sprinkler tickerling
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

A smart solution to a very hot day

It was close to 100F the day I took these .....

Fill up the hat

and put it on

and dumping on his head

and dumping on his head
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

Mornings can be fun

With an early wake up from Z to empty his bladder into the potty. YAY! No cheating. i.e. none of his peeing in the diaper and then dripping just to get a chocolate chip treat. We got our morning grove on. We went to the baseball park with his new shiny "wiffle' bat and ball. In the 30 minutes we spent there his hit rate (hand, eye and ball vector mapping) increased drastically. Mainly because we switched from standing and throwing to kneeling and rolling. But now he is getting the timing to make some major home run hits. It was pretty cool to watch.

Two of a kind

IMG_4756
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

Yesterday we went to Brian & Tiffany's baby shower on the UES. They live in a lovely building (Rockafeller housing - Columbia, take note!) with an outside play area (including water) and an inside playroom. One corner is devoted to this climbing wall, so Mark & Zachary took a spin.

Zachary especially loved it once he realized he could climb up and fall down. He took particular glee in the falling down. Thank goodness for 6" mats.

Somersaults

This morning, Zachary discovered somersaults.

He is doing them all over the living room.

It is ridiculous.

He does not, he'd like you to know, require any help. Thank you very much.

sorry i'm the worst mommy blogger ever...

3 more days. Two, if you think today is almost over.

Zachary is tearing up language like it is tissue paper.

This is just a service announcement in case you get within 100 meters of him.

For a while, he would say "You, me, everbody!"

Now, instead of everybody, he says "every guys!". I can't decide if this is 1) stolen from some piece of popular culture we haven't found yet. or 2) some toddler mashup of "Everybody" and "You guys."

It is always so hard to know.

He and mark are trying to sample every playground in central park before we leave new york. Which for Z and I looks like it will be midaugust.

That's a month away.

I can't believe we're leaving New York.

Enjoying the waves

On sunday Z and I walked all the way to (and most of the way back from) the little beach on the Hudson. It was packed with families hangout for the macy's fourth of July fireworks and BBQing on the grass. Once Z got over the "ahh waves" and into the warm water of the hudson, he was all but ready to swim to NJ. He had a blast.

Monday we went on an all day trip to Hippo playground, Z loved it. I sat, he played and played, with the water (which was good 'cos it was freakishly hot), on the assorted climbing structures and slides, and in the sand pit with both older and younger kids alike.

bouncy branch

DSC_0285
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

"subway stairs by myself"

"subway stairs by myself"
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

watering the plants

watering the plants
Originally uploaded by m0nk3yphd

Play me, I'm yours

60 street piano's have invaded New York and we stumbled across one at columbus circle. After listening to some frenetic classical by a teenager (no sheet music required!), and a Nora Jones easy listening jazz singer, Z got his go with Grandma Jackie.

Then we went to volcano park and he figured out a method for running through the water spray without getting his hair/face wet......

helmet

intent on reading

We had a busy weekend, Z highlights:
1) Getting to fall asleep in the car on the way up to Massachusetts
2) Babysitting with cousins Danny and Rachel, which involved pizza, Juggling, baseball, football and futurama (sans Z,we had a great time at the wedding too)
3) New books from Grandma Cornwall, GG and Auntie Marilyn (thank you all)

Long time no post

sorry turns out PhDs are hard, and we;re trying to finish up.

"bury my feet, please"

and then later "water me too, please" because like plants they needed water to grow.

waters on when NYC gets hot

Neglectful bloggers, no biscuits

I KNOW.

Sorry. It turns out PhDs are hard. Right? Who would have thought. Whatevs. We're counting in weeks, and that can only be good for everyone and future therapy bills.

Mark will be fantastic and upload pictures at some point. There has been fantastic water based frolicking as the weather has warmed up here. New York City parks do have incredible water features - sometimes as silly as a pipe, or a sprinkler, but frankly when it is 95 degrees, that'll do. With no yards for most folks, certainly in manhattan... it is absolutely necessary. And some are spectacular, like "Volcano Playground"... well, no point describing. You'll see it soon enough.

The big news is... Zachary is HYSTERICAL.

Oh, wait. That isn't news. But he has certainly got his sass on. And his vocabulary! He is just sucking in words like a crazy vacuum sponge baby. Or an alien who has landed and is trying to fit in. Yeah, we probably should have named him Ford Prefect. Hindsight is a bitch.

He and I have had some quality conceptual time lately. Working on ones dissertation turns one to the precision of language. Which is a super dangerous collision when your 2.5 year old has hit the WHY WHY WHY stage. And loves words.

This last week we've learned:

1) The difference between parallel and perpendicular (forking noodles)
2) The difference between major & minor axis on an ellipse (cutting chick'n nuggets)
3) 1, again, with stabbing nuggets (he's pretty good at it)... and he can say perpendicular. Which is damn cute. In case you were wondering.
4) What's magnetic?? SO MANY THINGS. And did you know? If the door frame is magnet at eye level? IT IS ALSO MAGNETIC AT THE FLOOR. And at the place you can reach with your tippytoes stretched dangerously from the stepstool.

Yup. Magnetism is kick ass. Which I think is a great weekend lesson.

oh! and books. Still a book fiend. He has now started bringing books to daycare to share. Every day he picks a book he wants to share at daycare.

And he hates sleep. Apparently he gets that from me, WHA?? Sorry, kid. Genes are tricksy. Ask your Grandpa Michael.

Get up, Stand up

Z has had a big crush on Bob since he got to dance while eating a takeout picnic on campus a few weeks back. He still remembers and recites that we danced on the grass while eating dinner, but also loves to rock out and just enjoys dancing.....